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苦情

English translation: complaints

02:53 Oct 25, 2010
Japanese to English translations [PRO]
Bus/Financial - Advertising / Public Relations / customer service
Japanese term or phrase: 苦情
I need help to differentiate 2 terms: 苦情 and クレーム. I would normally translate both as "complaint", however they appear in the same Quality Manual and even in the same phrase (クレーム（苦情を含む））

Any suggestions would be appreciated.
dere-hari
Japan
Local time: 20:14
English translation:complaints
Explanation:
(クレーム（苦情を含む）
Claims (including complaints)


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 19 mins (2010-10-25 03:13:09 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I believe that the word "クレーム" can also be translated as "claim(s)." I often translate it as such. By using "claims" and "complaints" in your above phrase, there is a clear differentiation between クレーム and 苦情.

(Customer service counters/departments/sections are often subjected to a myriad of claims and complaints!)

Here is an excerpt of the definition of "claim" from an online dictionary:
http://www.yourdictionary.com/claim
noun
a demand for something rightfully or allegedly due
a right or title to something: her sole claim to fame

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 43 mins (2010-10-25 03:36:35 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Here is a "customer service" solutions website which uses both the words "claims" and "complaints" and explains both with reference to customer service.
http://www-01.ibm.com/software/data/cognos/solutions/custome...
Cognos solutions for customer service
Information, complaints and claims

By tracking and categorizing Information, Complaints and Claims, you can gauge the severity of various risks and prevent them in the future for better performance management.
Simply counting complaints will not adequately reflect the nature or risk of a problem. Instead, you should monitor the customer voice across three dimensions: frequency, customer segments and type of issue. For example, complaints about product quality are more critical than order identification errors.
Claims, such as compensation or replacement, also have to be addressed effectively. They are a direct cost to the business and, if poorly handled, lessen customer loyalty.
With the Information, Complaints and Claims decision area, you can set planning goals and scorecarding metrics for these elements of performance management:
Selected response from:

Joyce A
Thailand
Local time: 18:14
Grading comment
Thanks for the reply. In the context I was faced with, this appears to have been the best answer.

The text was originally for an ISO application and it seems that クレーム was used to mean a formal complaint, as in the English meaning, and 苦情　was used to refer to negative feedback, as in a complaint.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +2complaint
cinefil
4 +2complaints
Joyce A


  

Answers


11 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
complaint


Explanation:
It could be either.

A complaint is a statement that one is unhappy about something.
I'm fed up with my children's complaints about the food.
The holidaymakers sat in the bar, complaining about the weather.
The customer came back with a complaint about the i-pod.

A claim is a demand for money or other benefit.
I told them to claim their money back.
The customer made a claim under the guarantee.

A claim can also be an allegation or an accusation, but this is usually as a verb.
The police claim that he was travelling at 130 kph.

So in your case:

The customer complained that her son was vomiting. (= was unhappy, made a complaint)
She claimed that her son's vomiting was the manufacturer's fault. (= made an accusation)
She claimed 1 000 euros in damages for doctor's fees to cure him. (= demanded money, made a claim)
http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=1743758


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 17 mins (2010-10-25 03:11:05 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

claim
to officially demand or receive money from an organization because you have a right to it
to state that you have a right to take or have something that is legally yours:

com‧plaint
a statement in which someone complains about something:
LDOCE5


cinefil
Japan
Local time: 20:14
Native speaker of: Native in JapaneseJapanese
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Shannon Morales: Great explanation, Cinefil-san!
2 mins
  -> Thanks a lot, Shannon-san.
agree  PT Translati (X)
3 days 27 mins
  -> Thanks a lot!
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

8 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
complaints


Explanation:
(クレーム（苦情を含む）
Claims (including complaints)


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 19 mins (2010-10-25 03:13:09 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I believe that the word "クレーム" can also be translated as "claim(s)." I often translate it as such. By using "claims" and "complaints" in your above phrase, there is a clear differentiation between クレーム and 苦情.

(Customer service counters/departments/sections are often subjected to a myriad of claims and complaints!)

Here is an excerpt of the definition of "claim" from an online dictionary:
http://www.yourdictionary.com/claim
noun
a demand for something rightfully or allegedly due
a right or title to something: her sole claim to fame

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 43 mins (2010-10-25 03:36:35 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Here is a "customer service" solutions website which uses both the words "claims" and "complaints" and explains both with reference to customer service.
http://www-01.ibm.com/software/data/cognos/solutions/custome...
Cognos solutions for customer service
Information, complaints and claims

By tracking and categorizing Information, Complaints and Claims, you can gauge the severity of various risks and prevent them in the future for better performance management.
Simply counting complaints will not adequately reflect the nature or risk of a problem. Instead, you should monitor the customer voice across three dimensions: frequency, customer segments and type of issue. For example, complaints about product quality are more critical than order identification errors.
Claims, such as compensation or replacement, also have to be addressed effectively. They are a direct cost to the business and, if poorly handled, lessen customer loyalty.
With the Information, Complaints and Claims decision area, you can set planning goals and scorecarding metrics for these elements of performance management:


Joyce A
Thailand
Local time: 18:14
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 16
Grading comment
Thanks for the reply. In the context I was faced with, this appears to have been the best answer.

The text was originally for an ISO application and it seems that クレーム was used to mean a formal complaint, as in the English meaning, and 苦情　was used to refer to negative feedback, as in a complaint.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  MariyaN (X): I agree with Joyce. I would say that クレーム is more general and thus its translation as "claim" is quite appropriate, while　苦情 supposes some kind of difficulty or unpleasant situation, and for this meaning "complaint" is more suitable.
1 hr
  -> Thank you, MariyaN! :-)
agree  Soonthon LUPKITARO(Ph.D.): In ISO quality standard, severity of complaint is lower than claim's
5 hrs
  -> Thank you, Khun Soonthon! :-) And, yes, I agree as to the degrees of severity between the two words.
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